Communications: directive radio wave systems and devices (e.g. – Directive – Including a satellite
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-09
2001-01-09
Blum, Theodore M. (Department: 3662)
Communications: directive radio wave systems and devices (e.g.,
Directive
Including a satellite
C701S211000, C340S996000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06172641
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to navigation or route guidance systems and, more particularly, to a navigation system that provides audible route guidance instructions to a user of the navigation system.
Navigation systems generally provide a recommended route from a starting point to a desired destination. Generally, the starting point and desired destination are selected from a large database of roads stored in a mass media storage, such as a CD ROM, which includes the roads in the area to be travelled by the user. The navigation system can be located in a personal computer or it can be installed in a vehicle. If the navigation system is installed in a vehicle, the starting point is typically the current position of the vehicle, which can be input to the navigation system by an associated position determining system that usually includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver.
The navigation system determines a route from the starting point to the destination utilizing an algorithm well-known to those in the art and currently in use in many navigation systems. Usually there are many potential routes between the selected starting point and the desired destination. Typical navigation systems select a recommended route based upon certain “cost” values associated with each segment of road in the road database. These cost values include the length of the road segment and the estimated time of travel through the road segment. The navigation system selects the potential route with the lowest total cost to be the recommended route. Depending upon the predetermined algorithm of the navigation system, the navigation system will recommend the route with the shortest total length, the lowest total time, or some weighted average of length and time.
The recommended route is then displayed to the user as a map showing the starting point and desired destination and highlighting the recommended route. Preferably, if the navigation system is installed in a vehicle, the navigation system displays the current position of the vehicle and provides visual turn-by-turn instructions to the driver, guiding the driver to the selected destination.
Many navigation systems also provide audible turn-by-turn instructions to the driver. One such system is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,492 wherein an instruction is perceived by the driver to be emanating from a fixed direction that is determined by the content of the instruction. One disadvantage of such a system is that drivers do not always correctly perceive the direction of the fixed source and thus any benefit derived by associating the source of the instruction with its content is lost.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a system for projecting audible instructions that enhances the ability of a driver to correctly perceive the content of the instruction. It is also desirable to provide a system that is readily adaptable to a typical vehicle audio system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general terms, this invention provides a vehicle navigation system in combination with a vehicle audio system that provides audible maneuver instructions to a driver, which the driver perceives as moving in a direction that corresponds to the content of the instruction.
The navigation system generally includes a database of a plurality of roads, a position determining system, an input device, and a route determination system. The position determining system determines a position of the vehicle relative to the plurality of roads. The user selects a destination from the database with the input device. The route determination system determines a route from the position of the vehicle to the selected destination via a plurality of maneuvers on the plurality of roads. The navigation system generates an audible maneuver instruction based on one of the plurality of maneuvers. The sound system, which is connected to the vehicle navigation system, is used by the navigation system to project the audible maneuver instruction. The audible maneuver instruction is generated from a first location and a second location and is moved from the first location to the second location during the output of the audible maneuver instruction.
The method of the invention comprises the steps of determining a route on a plurality of roads between a starting position and a destination. Selecting a first audible maneuver instruction from a database of audible maneuver instructions based on the determined route. The first audible maneuver instruction is initially projected from a first location and moved to a second location, which is based on the content of the first audible maneuver instruction, while projecting the first audible maneuver instruction.
This invention enhances the ability of a driver to perceive the content of an audible maneuver instruction using the audio system typically found in a vehicle.
These and other features and advantages of this invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be described as follows.
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patent: 5935193 (1999-08-01), Saiki
Blum Theodore M.
Carlson & Gaskey & Olds
Magellan Dis, Inc.
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